What Counts as a Psychological Disorder?

This lesson introduces the core question in abnormal psychology: what counts as a psychological disorder? We distinguish everyday distress from clinically significant disorder, and show why diagnosis is not based on one feeling, symptom, or unusual behaviour alone.

You will learn the main criteria used in practice: distress, impairment, deviance, and duration, along with why context matters. We also look at the role of culture, social norms, and professional judgment in deciding when a pattern of experience or behaviour becomes a mental health problem.

By the end of the lesson, you should be able to explain why psychological disorder is a carefully defined clinical judgement rather than a simple label for unconventional behaviour.